Test Tone Channel

The catchy left-turn pop music on offer from this Moncton, NB quartet on their debut full-length contains a strong prog bent, but it's more akin to Matlock label-mates the Wooden Stars than King Crimson. Softly sung vocals and mellow keyboards from Chastity Alward temper their desire to start-stop and repeatedly change tempo in mid-song; the variance in sound and approach, as well as vocalists, means Running For Words never steers into a rut. TTC is a dream hybrid between the mellow pop of Stereolab and the sonic exploration of Ottawa's South Pacific.